Meet
West Virginia's
History
Heroes
For 2002

Kathern Allemong of
Berkeley Springs was instrumental in the formation of the Morgan
County Historical and Genealogical Society, Inc., in 1977. An avid
historical and genealogical researcher, she has served the Society
in every capacity. Her publications include "Ruppenthal Family in
America & Europe" and "Graveyard History of Morgan County
(Virginia & West Virginia)." She also co-authored "Johann
Christian Habermehl, Morgan County (VA) WV." Nominated by the
Morgan County Historical and Genealogical Society, Inc.

Hunter Armentrout of
Troy has always had an interest in genealogy. That interest has
evolved into his extensive photograph collection of individuals
significant in the settlement and growth of Gilmer County. His
commitment to clean up the old cemeteries located behind the
Glenville State College campus has resulted in an area that is much
more accessible to the public. As president of the Gilmer County
Historical Society, he was instrumental in the establishment of the
future home of the history center. Nominated by the Gilmer County
Historical Society.

John A. Artzberger
dedicated himself to the interpretation of Wheeling and West
Virginia history all his adult life. He was curator of the Oglebay
Mansion Museum from 1964 to 1975, director of the expanded Museums
of Oglebay Institute from 1975 to 1998, and senior curator of the
Museums until his death in November 2001. He designed the
exhibition plan for the Oglebay Institute Glass Museum and served
on the interpretation committee of the West Virginia Independence
Hall Foundation board for more than 20 years. Nominated by the West
Virginia Independence Hall Foundation, Inc.

Barbara Bacon of St.
Albans is one of the original members of the St. Albans Historical
Society, which was founded in 1972. She was instrumental in
obtaining financial support to move Morgan's Kitchen to its present
location on MacCorkle Avenue. Over the past 30 years, she has
served as president and treasurer of the Society. She was involved
in saving the historic Chilton House from destruction and having it
placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. She
provided numerous articles for the "History of St. Albans" book and
remains an active member of the Society. Nominated by the St.
Albans Historical Society.

Attorney William H.
Bean of Moorefield has been committed to the preservation of
the history of the state and the South Branch Valley for 25 years.
He has been instrumental in historic preservation through research,
public speaking and service to the community. He has chaired
various committees and been a significant fund-raiser for local
preservation projects. Nominated by the Hardy County Historical
Society.

Retired college professor Dr.
Ancella Bickley of Charleston has worked diligently to
research, interpret and preserve West Virginia's history and
heritage, particularly the African-American experience. She was
instrumental in the establishment of several African-American
organizations, including the Black History Conference and Carter G.
Woodson Memorial Foundation. She presents programs on black
settlement in West Virginia and the Underground Railroad, and has
published, among other works, "Our Mount Vernons," featuring
African-American sites on the National Register of Historic Places,
and "Memphis Tennessee Garrison." Nominated by the Carter G.
Woodson Memorial Foundation, Inc.

Sandra Moats Burke of
Harrisville is a founding member of the Ritchie County Historical
Museum and helped nominate the General Thomas M. Harris Museum
building to the National Register of Historic Places. She has
assisted with several publications of the Ritchie County Historical
Society, including "The History of Ritchie County, West Virginia,
to 1980 ." Her research on the Underground Railroad in West
Virginia has drawn the interest of Dr. Ancella Bickley and other
researchers. Nominated by the Ritchie County Historical Museum,
Inc.

Bill Carney of
Wheeling has been an active member and vice president of the
Wheeling Area Historical Society. He is an expert on the crime
history of Wheeling and has presented various talks on the subject.
He writes for the Upper Ohio Valley Historical Review and is a
generous resource for researchers. Nominated by the Wheeling Area
Historical Society.

Olive Crow Dadisman of
Grafton, along with her partner, took on the task of restoring the
Anna Jarvis Birthplace Museum, working with their own funds to
restore the house built in 1854 by the family of the founder of
Mothers Day. After two years of restoration, the museum was opened
to the public in 1996. Dadisman is busy seven days a week giving
tours, cleaning and taking care of the house and grounds. Nominated
by the Thunder on the Tygart Foundation.

Lenore Ferrell of
Hewett was a charter member of the Boone County Genealogical
Society in 1975 and has held an office in the Society since that
time. She is editor of the 26 volumes of "Kith & Kin of Boone
County," and a Boone County history book, all of which were
published by the Society. She also authored two books: "1870 Boone
County Census - Annotated" and the "Ball Family History." Nominated
by the Boone County Genealogical Society.

Kellis and Virginia
Gillespie of Hurricane were co-editors of "The History of
Putnam County, Volume II," a publication of The Upper Vandalia
Historical Society. Kellis also works with the Mining Your History
Foundation to improve the storage of court house records in
accordance with the West Virginia State Code. Ginny is the
secretary for both the Foundation and the Society. Nominated by the
Upper Vandalia Historical Society.

Wayne Huffman of
Brandywine is 1st Lieutenant Commander of the Brigadier General
James Boggs Camp 1706, Sons of Confederate Veterans. He
participates in living history events and local Civil War
re-enactments, and makes and erects markers for historical
locations in Pendleton County. He is spearheading a project to mark
the site of the Battle of Riverton, which occurred in March 1862,
and was the first raid of Federal Regulars into Pendleton County.
Nominated by the Order of the Bonnie Blue Phoebe Warner
Chapter.

Pamela Jackson of
Peterstown is a social studies teacher at James Monroe High School.
Through class activities and other school-related events, she
encourages her students to learn about history. She sponsors the
Junior Civitan Club, whose members act as tour guides at historic
homes and which hosted a county bicentennial reception. The group
has researched and prepared a database on the Peterstown Cemetery
to contribute to the online US GenWeb Project. They are also
preparing a publication for the Monroe County Historical Society.
Jackson also has taught an adult class on conducting genealogy
research through the Internet. Nominated by Arthur
Ballard.

Charlene P. Leist of
Huntington is the ultimate volunteer. As assistant corresponding
secretary of KYOWVA Genealogical Society, she helps with every
project of the Society, including work on "Cabell County Heritage
1996," the 1900 Cabell County Census, answering mail, recruiting
other volunteers, working in the library and collecting articles.
She also has been abstracting obituaries from the Bluefield
Daily Telegraph. Nominated by the KYOWVA Genealogical
Society.

Foster Lipscomb of
Rowlesburg has been an active member of the Rowlesburg Area
Historical Society since it was organized in 1995, serving as vice
president for two years. He does a great deal of local history
research and has been successful at identifying possible funding
from little-known sources. Over the years he has donated time,
talent and funds to aid in the success of the Society's projects.
Nominated by the Rowlesburg Area Historical Society.

Tim McKinney of
Fayetteville is an accomplished historian. He has written and
published five books on the Civil War in West Virginia and one book
on the history of Elkem Metals. He has written newspaper and
magazine articles, assisted with museum development, and spoken at
numerous functions. He has been an active member and officer of
several historical societies on both the county and state level. He
has been instrumental in the erection of markers and interpretive
signs at several historical sites and has worked to have two sites
nominated to the National Register of Historic Places: the Glen
Ferris Inn in Fayette County and the "Lee Headquarters" in
Greenbrier County. Nominated by the Fayette and Raleigh Counties
Genealogical Society.

James Miracle of Wood
County, president of the West Augusta Genealogical and Historical
Society, has been instrumental in the project to expand the
genealogy/history room at the Parkersburg and Wood County Public
Library. Nominated by the West Augusta Historical and Genealogical
Society.

Roscoe Plumley of
Beckley has developed a booklet with pictures and the names of
those interred in 63 cemeteries in Raleigh County and has donated
copies to libraries and local groups. He also has documented the
business meetings of the New Salem Baptist Church on Plumley
Mountain from 1872 to the present and has traveled and recorded the
genealogy and history of the Plumley family from 1635 through the
Revolutionary war and land grants and purchases in Raleigh County.
Nominated by the Raleigh County Historical Society.

Dr. James C. Price of
Shepherdstown has shared his love and knowledge of Shepherdstown
with groups of all ages and backgrounds. He began his effort to
preserve the community's history in honor of his son's memory and
his love for the town that has been his lifelong home. He has
co-authored three books about Shepherdstown's history, created a
walking tour guide and works closely with the local schools to
relate the history of the town through storytelling. Nominated by
the Historical Shepherdstown Commission.

Otis Reed of Weston
retired to his native home in Lewis County in 1994. In 1993 he
wrote "Border Warfare," a play depicting life in 17th century
western Virginia, for the 200th McWhorter Family Celebration at
Jackson's Mill. He wrote and illustrated "The Building of the
Jonathan McCally Bennett Mansion" in Weston in 1997, and annotated
and published "My Recollections and Experiences of the Civil War or
A Citizen of Weston During the Late Unpleasantness" by Thomas Bland
Camden, M.D., in 2000. He identified and compiled a list of the
more than 2,000 veteran burials in the county for a joint Hacker's
Creek Pioneer Descendants-Veterans of Foreign Wars Millennium
Celebration. In 2001, on behalf of the Weston Historic Landmark
Commission, he researched and drew a detailed map of historic
Weston for a walking tour. Nominated by the Weston Historic
Landmark Commission and Hacker's Creek Pioneer Descendants,
Inc.

John A. "Jack" Sanders
of New Creek is the author of "Guarding the River, the Canal, and
the Railroad," a book dealing with the Civil War papers of Captain
B.B. Shaw. He is president of the Mineral County Historical
Foundation; a member of Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War,
7th WV Infantry Camp 7; Sons of Confederate Veterans, McNeill's
Rangers Camp #582; a life member of the Mineral County Historical
Society; and a member of the Mineral County Genealogical Society.
As circuit clerk of Mineral County, he helped preserve the
historical documents of that county. Nominated by Sons of Union
Veterans of the Civil War, 7th West Virginia Infantry Camp
7.

James Schaffer of
Moundsville has served as president of the Marshall County
Historical Society for four years. He was very much involved in the
purchase of the Society building and now serves on its board of
directors. Nominated by the Marshall County Historical Society
American History Committee.

John Scott of
Buckhannon, editor of The Record Delta, has raised public awareness
of history in Upshur County. During 2001, Upshur County celebrated
its sesquicentennial with a year-long series of activities, events
and publications. Scott promoted the work of the Upshur County
Historical Society, the Upshur County Commission, and the
Buckhannon City Council, the agencies that sponsored the various
commemorative activities. Nominated by the Upshur County Historical
Society.

Alberta "Bert" Scroggs
of Grafton is treasurer of the Taylor County Historical Society.
She has worked countless hours getting the group's collections in
order, volunteers every day at the library and works to raise
funds. Nominated by the Taylor County Historical
Society.

James and Deloris
Slawter of Preston County, a husband and wife team, work to
collect, preserve and research historical items. They have worked
with The Preston County Journal and The Preston County News.
Articles and photos of their activities also have appeared in The
Republican, in Oakland, Md. Nominated by the Aurora Area Historical
Society.

Pauline Smith of
Ravenswood had her interest in family history sparked early in life
by listening to people reminisce when they visited her father, H.D.
Somerville. She spent many hours with him when he was writing about
families of Wirt, Jackson and Wood Counties and, along with her
daughter, recently completed the task of publishing those writings.
She also has helped many people research their genealogy. Nominated
by the Wirt County Historical Society of Elizabeth.

Clarice V. Stanley of
Martins Ferry, Ohio, has been an active member of the genealogy
committee of the Marshall County Historical Society since 1985. She
was instrumental in establishing the Genealogy Room of the Marshall
County Historical Society's Museum. She is also a long time member
of the Wheeling Area Genealogical Society in Ohio County. She has
spent countless hours organizing information from the extensive
collection of Dorothy Rine Brown into the Rine Family Genealogy.
She has served as registrar for the Daughters of the American
Revolution for 12 years. Nominated by the Wheeling Area
Genealogical Society.

Cameron native and architect
Tracy Stephens, now of Wheeling took up the work of Fredric
Faris in 1956 on the Wilson Lodge at Oglebay Park. He assumed
Faris' office and has maintained a file of Faris' projects
throughout West Virginia. Stephens' projects include the
restoration of West Virginia Independence Hall, 1966-84, and
restoration of St. Joseph Cathedral, 1995-96. Nominated by Friends
of Wheeling

Lewis County native
Hartzel Strader of Miamisburg is a charter member of
Hacker's Creek Pioneer Descendants and has served on its board of
directors for 20 years. He has contributed significantly to the
preservation of Lewis County history and genealogy by surveying and
recording more than half of the county's 280 cemeteries,
transcribing and preparing for publication the official records of
the births and deaths of Lewis County, creating an electronic
database of more than 50,000 people living in Lewis County prior to
1880, and designing a map of homesteads in the Skin Creek District.
Nominated by Hacker's Creek Pioneer Descendants, Inc.

Eldean Wellman of
Verdunville has been a member of the Logan County Genealogical
Society for more than 15 years and has served on the Society's
board. Secretary for the Westmoreland Chapter of the Daughters of
the American Revolution, she just completed a history of her
church. Nominated by the Logan County Genealogical
Society.